In this article

Install the .NET Framework for developers

In this article

.NET is an integral part of many apps running on Windows and provides common functionality for those apps to run. For developers, the .NET Framework provides a comprehensive and consistent programming model for building apps that have visually stunning user experiences and seamless and secure communication.

Note

This topic is intended for developers who either want to install the .NET Framework on their own system or who want to install it with their applications. For users interested in installing the .NET Framework, see the individual topics that discuss installing the .NET Framework on specific operating systems, such as Install the .NET Framework on Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016.

This article provides links for installing all versions of the .NET Framework from the .NET Framework 4.5 to the .NET Framework 4.7.2 on your computer. If you're a developer, you can also use these links to download and redistribute the .NET Framework with your apps. For information on deploying a version of the .NET Framework with your app, see .NET Framework deployment guide for developers.

Important

All .NET Framework versions since .NET Framework 4 are in-place updates, so only a single 4.x version can be present on a system. In addition, particular versions of the .NET Framework are pre-installed on some versions of the Windows operating system. This means that:

If there's a later 4.x version installed on the machine already, you can't install a previous 4.x version.

If the OS comes pre-installed with a particular .NET Framework version, you can't install a previous 4.x version on the same machine.

If you install a later version, you don't have to first uninstall the previous version.

Use the following table for quick links, or read further for details. To view the system requirements for the .NET Framework before installation, see System Requirements. For help with troubleshooting, see Troubleshooting.

For a general introduction to the .NET Framework for both users and developers, see Getting Started. For information about deploying the .NET Framework with your app, see the deployment guide. To read about the architecture and key features of the .NET Framework, see the overview.

Installation choices

Install a developer targeting pack to develop against the most recent version of the .NET Framework in Visual Studio or another development environment, or download the .NET Framework redistributable for distribution with your app or control.

To install the .NET Framework Developer Pack or Targeting Pack

A targeting pack lets your app target a specific version of the .NET Framework when developing in Visual Studio and some other development environments. A developer pack includes a specific version of the .NET Framework and its accompanying SDK along with its corresponding targeting pack.

The developer pack for the .NET Framework 4.5.1 or 4.5.2, the targeting pack for the .NET Framework 4.6, and the developer pack for the .NET Framework 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, or 4.7.2 provides a particular .NET Framework's version of the reference assemblies, language packs, and IntelliSense files for use in an integrated development environment such as Visual Studio. If you are using Visual Studio, the developer pack or targeting pack also adds the installed version of the .NET Framework to the target choices when you create a new project. Choose one of the following:

From the developer pack download page, choose Download. Next choose Run or Save, and follow the instructions when prompted. You can also install the developer pack or targeting pack for a specific version of the .NET Framework by selecting it from the optional components in the .NET desktop development workload in the Visual Studio Installer, as the following figure shows.

When you target a particular version of the .NET Framework, your application is built by using the reference assemblies that are included with that version's developer pack. At runtime, assemblies are resolved from the Global Assembly Cache, and the reference assemblies are not used.

When building an application from Visual Studio or using MSBuild from the command line, MSBuild may display error MSB3644, "The reference assemblies for framework "framework-version" were not found." To address the error, download the developer pack or the targeting pack for that version of the .NET Framework.

To install or download the .NET Framework redistributable

Installers download the .NET Framework components for an app or control that targets those versions of the .NET Framework. These components must be installed on each computer where the app or control runs. These installers are redistributable, so you can include them in the setup program for your app.

The download page is provided in several languages, but most of the downloads are provided in English only. For additional language support, you must install a language pack.

Two types of redistributable installers are available:

Web installer (web bootstrapper) downloads the required components and the language pack that matches the operating system of the installation computer from the web. This package is much smaller than the offline installer but requires a consistent Internet connection. You can download the standalone language packs to install additional language support.

Offline installer (standalone redistributable) contains all the required components for installing the .NET Framework but doesn't contain language packs. This download is larger than the web installer. The offline installer doesn't require an Internet connection. After you run the offline installer, you can download the standalone language packs to install language support. Use the offline installer if you can't rely on having a consistent Internet connection.

Both web and offline installers are designed for x86-based and x64-based computers (see system requirements), but do not support Itanium-based computers.

Open the download page for the .NET Framework version you want to install:

Select the language for the download page. This option does not download the localized resources of the .NET Framework; it only affects the text displayed on the download page.

Choose Download.

If prompted, select the download that matches your system architecture, and then choose Next.

When the download prompt appears do ONE of the following:

If you want to install the .NET Framework on your computer, choose Run, and then follow the prompts on your screen.

If you want to download the .NET Framework for redistribution, choose Save, and then follow the prompts on your screen.

If you want to download resources for additional languages, follow the instructions in the next section to install one or more language packs.

Note

If you encounter any problems during the installation, see Troubleshooting.

Installation notes:

The .NET Framework 4.5.1 and 4.5.2, as well as the .NET Framework 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, and 4.7.2 are in-place updates to the .NET Framework 4.5.

The .NET Framework 4.5, its point releases, the .NET Framework 4.6 and its point releases, and the .NET Framework 4.7 and its point releases replace the .NET Framework 4. When you install these versions on a system that has the .NET Framework 4 installed, the assemblies are replaced.

Uninstalling the .NET Framework 4.5, its point releases, the .NET Framework 4.6 and its point releases, or the .NET Framework 4.7 and its point releases also removes pre-existing .NET Framework 4 files. If you want to go back to the .NET Framework 4, you must reinstall it and any updates to it. (See Installing the .NET Framework 4.)

You must have administrative credentials to install the .NET Framework 4.5, its point releases, the .NET Framework 4.6 and its point releases, and the .NET Framework 4.7 and its point release.

The .NET Framework 4.5 redistributable was updated on October 9, 2012 to correct an issue related to an improper timestamp on a digital certificate, which caused the digital signature on files produced and signed by Microsoft to expire prematurely. If you previously installed the .NET Framework 4.5 redistributable package dated August 16, 2012, we recommend that you update your copy with the latest redistributable from the Microsoft Download Center. For more information about this issue, see Microsoft Security Advisory 2749655 and Knowledge Base article 2770445.

To install language packs

Language packs are executable files that contain the localized resources (such as translated error messages and UI text) for supported languages. If you don't install a language pack, .NET Framework error messages and other text are displayed in English. Note that the web installer automatically installs the language pack that matches your operating system, but you can download additional language packs to your computer. The offline installers don’t include any language packs.

Important

The language packs don't contain the .NET Framework components that are required to run an app, so you must run the web or offline installer before you install a language pack. If you have already installed a language pack, uninstall it, install the .NET Framework, and then reinstall the language pack.

Open the language pack download page for the .NET Framework version you've installed: